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The Graduate School Great Debate runs twice a year. Two teams of PGRs come together to debate a PGR generated topic with an open audience which normally attracts other PGRs and academic staff

The University of York has committed to the Concordat and to the provision of impactful, useful training for research staff. Using the CROS data and longitudinal follow up surveys on two of our biggest (White Rose) programmes we tested this assertion. The details below describe how we triangulated these different forms of evaluation to develop confidence that what we are doing is of high quality.

This is a series of networking events for postgraduate researchers from the department of Law/College of Social Sciences. The event takes the form of a a fortnightly lunch time gathering. The aim is to inform attendees about other students' work. Attendees will be asked to bring problems they are facing to allow other attendees to offer suggestions through brainstorming. One or two, 5-minute presentations about research will be offered,to help attendees to develop their presentation and communication skills.

The session covers all aspects of attending an academic conference from submitting an abstract to presenting. Networking, poster design and other practical considerations are also key factors.

Part-time research students often miss out on attending skills seminars during the week due to other commitments. The Saturday School combines the most popular sessions from the current term and provides a forum for PT students to meet and discuss their research.

The viva is often a daunting challenge, frequently approached with anxiety and confusion rather than careful preparation. This session based around a video screening and group discussion helps PGRs to understand the viva and handle it well.

Writing a PhD thesis requires a number of skills including, understanding the contribution of your work, a clear structure and the use of an unambiguous style. This course is comprised of four seminar sessions in which the process of writing a thesis will be considered.

Taking a pro-active approach to improving and maintaining a good relationship with one's supervisor can ensure the smooth progress of a PhD. Practical activities, group discussion and the ‘Good Supervisor Video’ all contribute to this helpful workshop.

Applications are invited from individual and teams of doctoral researchers at Durham University responsible for organizing short-term, well-defined conferences and events of a subject-specific, interdisciplinary or generic nature. Applicants submit an application form in which they are asked to describe their proposed project, explain its relevance for the potential audience, justify the expenditure requested and provide a time-line for the completion of the project. The maximum level of award is £1000 per conference or event and although funding can be used for most purposes, it cannot be used for providing travel bursaries for attendance. In addition to funding, Graduate School can also provide: • project management support • equipment on loan, including poster boards, flip charts and delegate name badges As a condition of the award, successful applicants are required to write a short report after the event or conference. There are three submission deadlines for the year, in late October, January and April. Applications are considered three times per year by a ‘Graduate School Conference and Event Grants Panel’ and the results published two weeks after the submission date. Doctoral researchers who wish to submit an application must discuss their ideas and submission with their supervisor(s) and/or colleges.

Several ‘Careers in Academia’ workshops have been held, covering all subject cohorts, in which the steps needed to secure an academic position were discussed. The workshops were supported by the staff from the careers unit as well as senior and junior academics from across the university.